Display apparatus and method of manufacturing the same

ABSTRACT

A display apparatus includes a substrate partitioned into a central area and a peripheral area disposed adjacent to the central area. The central area includes a display area; a first insulating layer corresponding to the peripheral area of the substrate; at least one slit corresponding to a region of the first insulating layer; and a cladding layer, which covers the at least one slit, on the first insulating layer.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE TO ANY PRIORITY APPLICATIONS

Any and all applications for which a foreign or domestic priority claimis identified in the Application Data Sheet as filed with the presentapplication are hereby incorporated by reference under 37 CFR 1.57.

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/277,914, filed Feb. 15, 2019, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/817,628, filed Nov. 20, 2017, now U.S. Pat. No.10,211,228, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/800,521, filed Jul. 15, 2015, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,825,056, whichclaims priority to and the benefit of Korean Patent Application No.10-2015-0018904, filed Feb. 6, 2015, the entire content of all of whichis incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND Field

One or more embodiments relate to a display apparatus and a method ofmanufacturing the same.

Description of the Related Technology

Recently, display apparatuses have been used for various purposes. Asthe display apparatuses are thin and light weight, their usage range hasbecome wide.

In particular, recently, flat panel display apparatuses are furtherstudied and are manufactured.

The display apparatus, in more detail, the flat panel display apparatus,has a plurality of various films. When an external force is applied tothe flat panel display apparatus, or due to a process condition duringthe manufacture of the flat panel display apparatus, the various filmsmay be damaged or may create a path of crack propagation.

When display apparatuses are formed from one mother substrate, themanufacture may include a process of cutting the mother substrate so asto separate the display apparatuses.

During the cutting process, a crack may occur on the films of thedisplay apparatus, and the films may create a path of crack propagation.

Accordingly, durability of the display apparatus is affected.

SUMMARY OF CERTAIN INVENTIVE ASPECTS

One or more embodiments include a display apparatus and a method ofmanufacturing the same.

Additional aspects will be set forth in part in the description whichfollows and, in part, will be apparent from the description, or may belearned by practice of the presented embodiments.

According to one or more embodiments, a display apparatus includes asubstrate partitioned into a central area and a peripheral area disposedadjacent to the central area, the central area including a display area;a first insulating layer corresponding to the peripheral area of thesubstrate; at least one slit corresponding to a region of the firstinsulating layer; and a cladding layer on the first insulating layer andcovering the at least one slit.

The display apparatus may further include one or more insulating layersin the display area, and the cladding layer may include a same materialas a material of the one or more insulating layers.

A depth of the at least one slit may be less than or equal to athickness of the first insulating layer.

The cladding layer may extend in one direction and may be parallel to anedge of the substrate.

A width of the cladding layer may be greater than a width of the atleast one slit.

A length of the cladding layer may be longer than a length of the atleast one slit.

The first insulating layer may extend to the display area.

The first insulating layer may extend to an edge of the substrate.

The display apparatus may further include a barrier layer between thesubstrate and the first insulating layer.

The barrier layer may extend to the display area.

The display apparatus may further include a second insulating layer onthe first insulating layer, and the at least one slit may extend throughthe second insulating layer.

The second insulating layer may extend to the display area.

The at least one slit may be spaced apart from at least one edge of thesubstrate.

The at least one slit may overlap with at least one edge of thesubstrate.

The cladding layer may be spaced apart from at least one edge of thesubstrate.

The cladding layer may overlap with at least one edge from among edgesof the substrate.

A plurality of slits may be spaced apart from each other in onedirection.

The plurality of slits may be disposed in a direction that crosses theone direction.

Among the plurality of slits, a width of a slit most adjacent to an edgeof the substrate may be greater than a width of each of slits other thanthe slit most adjacent to the edge of the substrate.

Among the plurality of slits, a width of a slit furthest from an edge ofthe substrate may be greater than a width of each of slits other thanthe slit furthest from the edge of the substrate.

Among the plurality of slits, a width of a middle slit located between aslit furthest from an edge of the substrate and a slit most adjacent tothe edge of the substrate may be greater than a width of each of slitsother than the middle slit.

At least one edge from among edges of the substrate may be defined as acutting line.

The substrate may include a flexible material.

The substrate may include an organic material.

The substrate may include multiple layers.

The substrate may further include a first layer including an organicmaterial, a second layer including an organic material, and an insertionlayer between the first layer and the second layer.

The display apparatus may further include a particle that remains in theat least one slit, and the cladding layer may be formed to cover theparticle.

The display apparatus may further include at least one encapsulatinglayer in the display area.

The at least one encapsulating layer may extend to the peripheral area.

The at least one encapsulating layer may be spaced apart from thecladding layer.

The at least one encapsulating layer may include one or more inorganicencapsulating layers or one or more organic encapsulating layers.

The display apparatus may further include a plurality of thin-filmtransistors (TFTs) in the central area of the substrate, each of theplurality of TFTs including an active layer, a gate electrode, a sourceelectrode, and a drain electrode, wherein one or more insulating layersmay be adjacent to at least one of the active layer, the gate electrode,the source electrode, and the drain electrode, and the cladding layerand the one or more insulating layers may include a same material.

The first insulating layer may extend to the central area and may bedisposed between the substrate and the plurality of TFTs.

The display apparatus may further include a passivation layer on thesource electrode and the drain electrode, and the cladding layer and thepassivation layer may be formed of a same material.

The display apparatus may further include a second insulating layerbetween the gate electrode and the active layer, and the secondinsulating layer may be on the first insulating layer and may extend tothe peripheral area so as to correspond to the at least one slit.

The display apparatus may further include an interlayer insulating layerbetween the gate electrode and the source and drain electrodes, and theinterlayer insulating layer may be on the first insulating layer and mayextend to the peripheral area so as to correspond to the at least oneslit.

The display apparatus may further include a first electrode electricallyconnected to at least one of the plurality of TFTs, and a pixel defininglayer covering a portion of the first electrode and defining a pixelarea

The display apparatus may further include a second electrode facing thefirst electrode; and an intermediate layer between the first electrodeand the second electrode and including an organic emission layer.

The cladding layer and the pixel defining layer may include a samematerial.

The cladding layer may surround the display area.

The cladding layer may correspond to edges of the display area, exceptfor one of the edges.

The cladding layer may include one or more main portions correspondingto edges of the substrate, and may include a corner portion connectingtwo adjacent main portions.

The display apparatus may further include a pad area in the peripheralarea of the substrate, wherein the cladding layer is near the pad areaand includes curved portions that correspond to the pad area and arecurved toward the display area or are curved away from the display area.

According to one or more embodiments, a method of manufacturing adisplay apparatus including a substrate partitioned into a central areaand a peripheral area adjacent to the central area, the central areaincluding a display area, the method including forming a firstinsulating layer to correspond to the peripheral area of the substrate;forming at least one slit by partially removing a vertical portion ofthe first insulating layer, wherein the at least one slit corresponds toa region of the first insulating layer that; and forming a claddinglayer on the first insulating layer, wherein the cladding layer coversthe at least one slit.

The method may further include forming one or more insulating layers inthe display area, and the cladding layer may include a same material asthe one or more insulating layers formed in the display area.

The method may further include forming a plurality of thin-filmtransistors (TFTs) in the central area of the substrate, wherein each ofthe plurality of TFTs includes an active layer, a gate electrode, asource electrode, and a drain electrode.

The method may further include forming a passivation layer on the sourceelectrode and the drain electrode, where forming the passivation layermay include forming a via hole in the passivation layer so as to exposea region of at least one of the source electrode and the drainelectrode, and the cladding layer may include a same material as thepassivation layer, and may be simultaneously patterned with the formingof the via hole.

According to one or more embodiments, a method of manufacturing adisplay apparatus including a central area and a peripheral areaadjacent to the central area, by using a mother substrate, the methodincluding cutting the mother substrate along cutting lines, forming afirst insulating layer to correspond to the peripheral area; forming atleast one slit by partially removing a vertical portion of the firstinsulating layer, wherein the slit corresponds to a region of the firstinsulating layer; forming a cladding layer on the first insulatinglayer, wherein the cladding layer covers the at least one slit; andperforming a cutting process along the cutting lines, and thus,separating one or more display apparatuses formed on the mothersubstrate.

During the cutting process, the cutting lines may be spaced apart fromthe cladding layer.

During the cutting process, the cutting lines may overlap with thecladding layer.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and/or other aspects will become apparent and more readilyappreciated from the following description of certain embodiments, takenin conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a plan view of a display apparatus according to anembodiment;

FIG. 2 illustrates a magnified view of a portion D of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the portion D, taken alonga line III-III of FIG. 2;

FIGS. 4 through 12 illustrate modified examples of a slit and a claddinglayer of FIGS. 1 through 3;

FIG. 13 illustrates an example in which a particle remains in a slit ofthe display apparatus, according to an embodiment;

FIG. 14 illustrates a plan view of a display apparatus, according toanother embodiment;

FIG. 15 illustrates a magnified view of a portion D of FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the portion D, taken alonga line XVI-XVI of FIG. 15;

FIG. 17 illustrates a modified example of the slit and the claddinglayer shown in FIGS. 15 and 16;

FIG. 18 illustrates a plan view of a display apparatus, according toanother embodiment;

FIG. 19 illustrates a magnified view of a portion D of FIG. 18;

FIG. 20 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the portion D, taken alonga line IXX-IXX of FIG. 20;

FIG. 21 illustrates a modified example of the slit and the claddinglayer shown in FIGS. 18 through 20;

FIG. 22 illustrates a plan view of a display apparatus, according toanother embodiment;

FIG. 23 illustrates a cross-sectional view, taken along a line XXII-XXIIof FIG. 22;

FIG. 24 illustrates a modified example of the display apparatus of FIGS.22 and 23;

FIG. 25 illustrates a plan view of a display apparatus, according toanother embodiment;

FIG. 26 illustrates cross-sectional views of the display apparatus,taken along lines XXVA-XXVA and XXVB-XXVB of FIG. 25;

FIG. 27 illustrates a modified example of the display apparatus shown inFIGS. 25 and 26;

FIG. 28 illustrates a plan view of a display apparatus, according toanother embodiment;

FIG. 29 illustrates a cross-sectional view, taken along lines XXXA-XXXAand XXXB-XXXB of FIG. 28;

FIGS. 30 through 33 illustrate plan views of a display apparatus,according to another embodiment;

FIG. 34 illustrates a plan view of a mother substrate used inmanufacturing a display apparatus, according to an embodiment;

FIG. 35 illustrates a magnified plan view of a portion M of FIG. 34;

FIG. 36 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the portion M, taken alonga line XXX-XXX of FIG. 35; and

FIG. 37 illustrates a modified example of the structure shown in FIG.36.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF CERTAIN INVENTIVE EMBODIMENTS

As the inventive concepts allow for various changes and numerousembodiments, particular embodiments will be illustrated in the drawingsand described in detail in the written description. Effects and featuresof the inventive concepts and methods of accomplishing the same may beunderstood more readily by reference to the following detaileddescription of embodiments and the accompanying drawings. The inventiveconcepts may, however, be embodied in many different forms and shouldnot be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein.

In one or more embodiments, such terms as “first,” “second,” or thelike, may be used, but such components must not be limited to the aboveterms, and the above terms are used only to distinguish one componentfrom another.

In one or more embodiments, a singular form may include plural forms,unless there is a particular description contrary thereto.

In one or more embodiments, terms such as “include” or “comprising” areused to specify existence of a recited feature or component, notexcluding the existence of one or more other recited features or one ormore other components.

In one or more embodiments, it will also be understood that when anelement such as layer, region, area, or component is referred to asbeing “on” another element, it can be directly on the other element, orintervening elements such as layer, region, area, or component may alsobe interposed therebetween.

In the drawings, for convenience of description, the sizes of layers andregions may be exaggerated for clarity. For example, a size andthickness of each element may be random for convenience of description,thus, one or more embodiments are not limited thereto.

In one or more embodiments, X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis may not belimited to three axes on a rectangular coordinate system but may beinterpreted as a broad meaning including the three axes. For example,the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis may be perpendicular to each other or mayindicate different directions that are not perpendicular to each other.

In one or more embodiments, an order of processes may be different fromthat is described. For example, two processes that are sequentiallydescribed may be substantially simultaneously performed, or may beperformed in an opposite order to the described order.

One or more embodiments will be described below in more detail withreference to the accompanying drawings. Those components that are thesame or are in correspondence are generally rendered the same referencenumeral regardless of the figure number, and redundant explanations areomitted.

As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations ofone or more of the associated listed items. Expressions such as “atleast one of,” when preceding a list of elements, modify the entire listof elements and do not modify the individual elements of the list.

FIG. 1 illustrates a plan view of a display apparatus 1000 according toan embodiment. FIG. 2 illustrates a magnified view of a portion D ofFIG. 1, and FIG. 3 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the portion D,taken along a line III-III of FIG. 2.

Referring to FIGS. 1 through 3, the display apparatus 1000 includes asubstrate 101. The substrate 101 may include various materials. In someembodiments, the substrate 101 may include a glass material, a metalmaterial, or other organic material.

In some embodiments, the substrate 101 may include a flexible material.For example, the substrate 101 may be well bent, curved, folded, orrolled.

In some embodiments, the substrate 101 may include ultra-thin glass,metal, or plastic. For example, when plastic is used, the substrate 101may include polyimide (PI), but embodiments are not limited thereto, andthus various materials may be used.

A plurality of the display apparatuses 1000 may be formed on a mothersubstrate, and may be separated into each display apparatus 1000 in amanner that the mother substrate is cut along cutting lines CL of thesubstrates 101. FIG. 1 illustrates one display apparatus 1000 that iscut along the cutting line CL and thus is separated. Thus, an edge ofthe substrate 101 is defined by the cutting line CL.

All edges of the substrate 101, such as for example the four edges ofthe substrate 101 shown in FIG. 1 may all be cutting lines CL. In anembodiment, one, two, or three of the four edges of the substrate 101may be cutting lines CL.

According to a size or shape of the mother substrate, a position or thenumber of edges from among all edges of the display apparatus 1000 thatare determined as a cutting line CL may vary.

The substrate 101 is partitioned into a peripheral area PA and a centralarea CA. The peripheral area PA includes an area around the cutting lineCL. The area adjacent to the cutting line CL, and the central area CAindicates an area that is inwardly positioned, compared to theperipheral area PA.

Embodiments are not limited thereto. The cutting line CL may not exist.One display apparatus 1000 may be formed on a mother substrate, and inthis case, the substrate 101 may correspond to the mother substrate, sothat the cutting line CL may not exist. In this case, the peripheralarea PA may indicate an area adjacent to an edge of the substrate 101,and the central area CA may indicate an area that is inwardlypositioned, compared to the peripheral area PA. For convenience ofdescription, it is assumed that the cutting line CL exists inembodiments described below.

The central area CA may include at least one display area DA.

The display area DA may include at least one display device (not shown),such as, for example, an organic light-emitting device (OLED) fordisplaying an image. Also, a plurality of pixels (not shown) may bedisposed in the display area DA, and at least one display device (notshown) may be disposed in each of the pixels.

A non-display area (not shown) may be formed around the display area DA.The non-display area may be formed to surround the display area DA. Insome embodiments, the non-display area may be formed to be adjacent to aplurality of sides of the display area DA. In some embodiments, thenon-display area may be formed to be adjacent to one side of the displayarea DA.

In some embodiments, only the display area DA may be arranged in thecentral area CA. The non-display area may be formed only in theperipheral area PA.

A pad area (not shown) may be formed in the non-display area. A driveror a plurality of pad units (not shown) may be disposed in the pad area.

In some embodiments, at least one insulating layer (not shown) may beformed in the display area DA of the central area CA. The insulatinglayer may include an organic material or an inorganic material.

The peripheral area PA indicates the area adjacent to the cutting lineCL and is arranged in edges of the substrate 101 along the cutting lineCL.

A first insulating layer 111 is formed on the substrate 101 in theperipheral area PA. A slit SL is formed on the first insulating layer111. The slit SL is formed in the peripheral area PA so as to be spacedapart from the display area DA.

The first insulating layer 111 may include various insulating materials.In some embodiments, the first insulating layer 111 may include aninorganic material. For example, the first insulating layer 111 mayinclude oxide, nitride, or oxynitride. The first insulating layer 111may include, for example, silicon nitride (SiN_(x)), silicon oxide(SiO₂), or silicon oxynitride (SiO_(x)N_(y)).

In some embodiments, the first insulating layer 111 may be formed whileextending to the central area CA or the display area DA. In someembodiments, the first insulating layer 111 may be commonly formed onthe central area CA and the peripheral area PA of the substrate 101. Thefirst insulating layer 111 may be formed on an entire top surface of thesubstrate 101.

The first insulating layer 111 may decrease or prevent moisture orimpurities from penetrating into the display apparatus 1000 via thesubstrate 101, and may provide a planar surface on a top surface of thesubstrate 101.

In some embodiments, the first insulating layer 111 may extend to thecutting line CL of the substrate 101.

Embodiments are not limited thereto, and the first insulating layer 111may not cover the top surface of the substrate 101 in a region of theperipheral area PA.

The slit SL is formed from the first insulating layer 111 by removing avertical portion of the first insulating layer 111. However, a method offorming the slit SL is not limited to the etching method.

The slit SL may be formed by not completely removing but partiallyremoving the vertical portion of the first insulating layer 111, so thata region of the substrate 101 may not be exposed. A thickness of theslit SL may be less than the thickness of the first insulating layer111.

The slit SL may have various shapes, including, for example, a shapeextending in one direction.

In some embodiments, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the slit SL may be formedin such a manner that the slit SL may have a side surface parallel tothe edge of the substrate 101 or the cutting line CL.

Here, a length of the slit SL may vary and thus may be less than orgreater than a length of the display area DA.

In some embodiments, the slit SL may be spaced apart from the centralarea CA, and for example, the slit SL may be spaced apart from thedisplay area DA.

A cladding layer CLL is formed on the first insulating layer 111 so asto cover the slit SL.

In some embodiments, a width of the cladding layer CLL may be greaterthan a width of the slit SL, and a length of the cladding layer CLL maybe greater than a length of the slit SL. By doing so, the cladding layerCLL may completely cover the slit SL so as to prevent the slit SL frombeing exposed.

The cladding layer CLL may include various materials. The cladding layerCLL may include an inorganic or organic material.

In some embodiments, the cladding layer CLL may include the organicmaterial. By doing so, an appropriate thickness and an appropriate widthof the cladding layer CLL may be ensured, and as a result, the claddinglayer CLL may cover the slit SL.

In some embodiment, the cladding layer CLL may include a same materialas an insulating layer (not shown) that may be formed in the centralarea CA of the substrate 101. Also, the cladding layer CLL and aninsulating layer (not shown) that may be formed in the display area DAof the substrate 101 may be simultaneously formed.

The cladding layer CLL may be formed in the peripheral area PA.

In some embodiments, the cladding layer CLL may be disposed between theedge of the substrate 101 and a boundary of the central area CA.

In some embodiments, the cladding layer CLL may be disposed between thecutting line CL and a boundary of the central area CA.

The cladding layer CLL may extend lengthwise. As illustrated in FIG. 2,the cladding layer CLL may have a shape that extends lengthwise inparallel to the cutting line CL of the substrate 101. The length of thecladding layer CLL may vary, and thus may be greater or lesser than alength of the display area DA.

The slit SL in the first insulating layer 111 that is arranged in theperipheral area PA of the display apparatus 1000 blocks crackpropagation from the edge of the substrate 101. For example, the slit SLthat is adjacent to the cutting line CL of the substrate 101 primarilyprevents propagation of a crack that may occur on the substrate 101 wheneach display apparatus 1000 is cut and then is separated from the mothersubstrate.

In particular, the first insulating layer 111 may be formed in theperipheral area PA of the substrate 101 and may selectively extend tothe cutting line CL, thereby protecting a top surface of the substrate101. Also, the slit SL may block or decrease a crack, or propagation ofthe crack, that may occur on the first insulating layer 111 due to apressure that is applied to the first insulating layer 111.

The cladding layer CLL is formed on the slit SL. Due to the claddinglayer CLL, movement of foreign substances or particles that may begenerated on the slit SL may be prevented. In some embodiments, thecladding layer CLL may cover the slit SL and thus, may not expose theforeign substances or the particles in the slit SL.

When the display apparatus 1000 is manufactured, the foreign substancesor the particles may be generated in the slit SL. For example, aconductive material that is used to form an electrode (not shown) in amanufacturing procedure of the display apparatus 1000 may remain in theslit SL. The conductive material remaining in the slit SL may cause adefect of the display apparatus 1000 in a subsequent process, such as,for example, the remaining conductive material may move to the displayarea DA and may cause an electrical defect of the display area DA, whichresults in deterioration in an electrical characteristic and an imagequality.

However, the cladding layer CLL is formed on the slit SL and thus mayprevent the movement of the remaining foreign substances and particles,so that a defect that may occur in the display area DA may be decreasedand prevented.

Also, due to the first insulating layer 111, it is possible to preventthe cladding layer CLL from being delaminated from the substrate 101.

FIGS. 4 through 13 illustrate modified examples of the slit SL and thecladding layer CLL of FIGS. 1 through 3. For convenience of description,the modified examples will be described only in consideration offeatures different from those of the previous embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 4, the first insulating layer 111 is formed on thesubstrate 101, and a slit SL is formed by partially removing the firstinsulating layer 111. A depth of the slit SL corresponds to a thicknessof the first insulating layer 111.

Some embodiments may have a structure in which a slit SL has a depththat corresponds to a thickness of the first insulating layer 111 asshown in FIG. 4.

Referring to FIG. 5, a barrier layer 102 is disposed between thesubstrate 101 and the first insulating layer 111. The slit SL is formedin the first insulating layer 111.

The slit SL is not formed in the barrier layer 102 and is formed only inthe first insulating layer 111. The barrier layer 102 may decrease orprevent moisture or foreign substances from penetrating into the displayapparatus 1000 via the substrate 101. Since the slit SL is not formed inthe barrier layer 102, the barrier layer 102 may decrease or prevent themoisture or the foreign substances from penetrating toward the slit SL.

In some embodiments, the slit SL may have a depth greater than thatshown in FIG. 5, and thus may be formed even in the barrier layer 102.

The barrier layer 102 may include, for example, silicon nitride(SiN_(x)), silicon oxide (SiO₂), or silicon oxynitride (SiO_(x)N_(y)).

Referring to FIG. 6, a second insulating layer 121 is formed on thefirst insulating layer 111. The second insulating layer 121 may includevarious insulating materials. In some embodiments, the second insulatinglayer 121 may include a same material as the first insulating layer 111.

In some embodiments, the second insulating layer 121 may include aninorganic material.

For example, the second insulating layer 121 may include oxide, nitride,or oxynitride. The second insulating layer 121 may include, for example,silicon nitride (SiN_(x)), silicon oxide (SiO₂), or silicon oxynitride(SiO_(x)N_(y)).

In some embodiments, the second insulating layer 121 may extend to thecentral area CA and may be formed in the display area DA. In someembodiments, the second insulating layer 121 may be completely formed inthe central area CA and the peripheral area PA of the substrate 101.

In some embodiments, the second insulating layer 121 may extend to thecutting line CL of the substrate 101.

Embodiments are not limited thereto, and in a region of the peripheralarea PA, the second insulating layer 121 may not cover a top surface ofthe substrate 101.

The slit SL is formed in the second insulating layer 121. The slit SL isformed in the second insulating layer 121 and the first insulating layer111. The slit SL may extend through the second insulating layer 121. Bydoing so, the slit SL may have a thickness that is equal to or greaterthan a predetermined value, so that, when the cladding layer CLL isformed in the slit SL, the cladding layer CLL is deeply filled in theslit SL and thus is stably disposed in the slit SL. By doing so, it ispossible to decrease or to prevent the cladding layer CLL from beingdelaminated from the slit SL.

Although not illustrated, at least one insulating layer (not shown) maybe additionally formed on the second insulating layer 121, and the slitSL may extend through the at least one insulating layer.

Also, the barrier layer 102 may be formed between the substrate 101 andthe first insulating layer 111. In some embodiments, the barrier layer102 of FIG. 6 may be skipped.

Referring to FIG. 7, the substrate 101 is not a single layer but ismultiple layers including a first layer 101 a, a second layer 101 b, andan insertion layer 101 c. The first layer 101 a and the second layer 101b may include an organic material, and the insertion layer 101 c mayinclude an inorganic material. In some embodiments, the first layer 101a and the second layer 101 b may include a plastic material such as, forexample, polyimide, and the insertion layer 101 c may include, forexample, silicon oxide.

Embodiments are not limited thereto, and the first layer 101 a and thesecond layer 101 b may include various types of same or differentorganic materials. The insertion layer 101 c may include variousmaterials capable of functioning as a barrier, and may not have asingle-layered structure but may have a multi-layered structure.

Although not illustrated, the multi-layered structure of the substrate101 shown in FIG. 7 may be applied to the previous embodiments, modifiedexamples thereof, and one or more embodiments described below.

Referring to FIG. 8, a plurality of slits SL are formed in the firstinsulating layer 111. Although FIG. 8 illustrates two slits SL,embodiments are not limited thereto. More slits SL, such as for example,three or more, may be formed in other embodiments.

In some embodiments, the plurality of slits SL may be spaced apart fromeach other. The plurality of slits SL may be arrayed in one direction,such as for example in a width direction (see X-axis direction of FIG.8) of the plurality of slits SL.

As seen in FIG. 9, the cladding layer CLL may cover all of the pluralityof slits SL. Although not illustrated, in some embodiments, the claddinglayer CLL may be formed as a plurality of cladding layers CLL that arespaced apart from each other so as to correspond to the plurality ofslits SL, respectively.

In some embodiments, the plurality of slits SL may be formed in parallelto each other and may have a regular width. Although not illustrated,widths of the plurality of slits SL may be different from each other. Astructure of the plurality of slits SL shown in FIG. 9 may be applied tothe previous embodiments and one or more embodiments described below.

The plurality of slits SL and spaces formed therebetween may efficientlyblock crack propagation to the substrate 101 via a cutting line CL ofthe substrate 101. Crack occurrence may be minimized due to a slit SLthat is most adjacent to the cutting line CL, or an edge of thesubstrate 101, from among the plurality of slits SL and an effect ofblocking additional crack occurrence and propagation may be improved dueto another slit SL that is second most adjacent to the cutting line CL.

Referring to FIG. 10, a plurality of slits SL are formed. Among theslits SL, a width W1 of a slit SL that is most adjacent to an edge ofthe substrate 101 or the cutting line CL may be different from widths W2of other slits SL. Among the slits SL, the width W1 of the slit SL thatis most adjacent to the edge of the substrate 101 or the cutting line CLis greater than each of the widths W2 of other slits SL. By doing so, aneffect of primarily preventing propagation of a crack that has occurredat the cutting line CL of the substrate 101 may be increased.

Embodiments are not limited thereto, and widths of the plurality ofslits SL may be variously set. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 11,among the slits SL, a width W1 of a slit SL that is furthest from theedge of the substrate 101 or the cutting line CL may be greater thaneach of widths W2 of other slits SL. Also, among the plurality of slitsSL, a width S1 of a slit SL located between a slit SL most adjacent tothe edge of the substrate 101 or the cutting line CL and a slit SLfurthest from the edge of the substrate 101 or the cutting line CL maybe greater than widths W2 of the slits SL, as illustrated in FIG. 12.

FIG. 13 illustrates an example in which a particle MR remains in a slitSL of the display apparatus 1000, according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 13, the particle MR remains in the slit SL of thedisplay apparatus 1000 described with reference to FIGS. 1 through 3.The particle MR may be, for example, a metal particle, a metal layerwaste, or other metal residue. The particle MR may be generated from anouter source, or be a residue of materials for forming elements of thedisplay apparatus 1000 during the manufacturing procedure of the displayapparatus 1000.

When a cladding layer CLL formed on the slit SL, the cladding layer CLLcovers the particle MR, thus, movement of the particle MR may beprevented or a possibility of the movement of the particle MR may bedecreased. The cladding layer CLL may prevent the particle MR frommoving to the display area DA of the display apparatus 1000. By doingso, a defect of the display area DA of the display apparatus 1000 may beprevented, so that the display apparatus 1000 may have an improvedelectrical characteristic and/or an improved image quality.

FIG. 14 illustrates a plan view of a display apparatus 2000, accordingto another embodiment. FIG. 15 illustrates a magnified view of a portionD of FIG. 14, and FIG. 16 illustrates a cross-sectional view of theportion D, taken along a line XVI-XVI of FIG. 15.

Referring to FIGS. 14 through 16, the display apparatus 2000 includes asubstrate 201. The substrate 201 may include various materials. Detailedexamples of the various materials of the substrate 201 are the same asthose described in the previous embodiments, and thus detaileddescriptions thereof are omitted here.

A plurality of the display apparatuses 2000 may be formed on a mothersubstrate, and may be separated into each display apparatus 2000 in amanner that the mother substrate is cut along cutting lines CL of thesubstrates 201. FIG. 14 illustrates one display apparatus 2000 that iscut along the cutting line CL and thus is separated. Thus, an edge ofthe substrate 201 is defined by the cutting line CL.

All edges of the substrate 201, such as the four edges of the substrate201 shown in FIG. 14 may all be cutting lines CL. In other embodiments,one, two, or three of the four edges of the substrate 201 may be cuttinglines CL.

According to a size or shape of the mother substrate, a position or thenumber of edges from among all edges of the display apparatus 2000 thatare determined as a cutting line CL may vary.

The substrate 201 is partitioned into a peripheral area PA and a centralarea CA. The peripheral area PA includes an area around the cutting lineCL, i.e., the area adjacent to the cutting line CL, and the central areaCA indicates an area that is inwardly positioned, compared to theperipheral area PA.

Embodiments are not limited thereto. The cutting line CL may not exist.One display apparatus 2000 may be formed on a mother substrate, and inthis case, the substrate 201 may correspond to the mother substrate, sothat the cutting line CL may not exist. In this case, the peripheralarea PA may indicate an area adjacent to an edge of the substrate 201,and the central area CA may indicate an area that is inwardlypositioned, compared to the peripheral area PA. For convenience ofdescription, it is assumed that the cutting line CL exists inembodiments described below.

The central area CA may include at least one display area DA.

The display area DA may have at least one display device (not shown),such as, for example, an OLED for displaying an image. Also, a pluralityof pixels may be arranged in the display area DA.

A non-display area (not shown) may be formed around the display area DA.The non-display area may be formed to surround the display area DA. Insome embodiments, the non-display area may be formed to be adjacent to aplurality of sides of the display area DA. In some embodiments, thenon-display area may be formed to be adjacent to one side of the displayarea DA.

In another embodiment, only the display area DA may be arranged in thecentral area CA. The non-display area may be formed only in theperipheral area PA.

A pad area (not shown) may be formed in the non-display area. A driveror a plurality of pad units (not shown) may be disposed in the pad area.

In some embodiments, at least one insulating layer (not shown) may beformed in the display area DA of the central area CA. The insulatinglayer may include an organic material or an inorganic material.

The peripheral area PA indicates the area adjacent to the cutting lineCL and is arranged in edges of the substrate 201 along the cutting lineCL.

A first insulating layer 211 is formed on the substrate 201 in theperipheral area PA. A slit SL is formed in the first insulating layer211. The slit SL is formed in the peripheral area PA so as to be spacedapart from the display area DA.

The first insulating layer 211 may include various insulating materials.In some embodiments, the first insulating layer 211 may include aninorganic material. For example, the first insulating layer 211 mayinclude oxide, nitride, or oxynitride. The first insulating layer 211may include, for example, silicon nitride (SiN_(x)), silicon oxide(SiO₂), or silicon oxynitride (SiO_(x)N_(y)).

In some embodiments, the first insulating layer 211 may be formed whileextending to the central area CA or the display area DA. In someembodiments, the first insulating layer 211 may be commonly formed onthe central area CA and the peripheral area PA of the substrate 201. Thefirst insulating layer 211 may be formed on an entire top surface of thesubstrate 201.

In some embodiments, the first insulating layer 211 may extend to thecutting line CL of the substrate 201.

Embodiments are not limited thereto, and the first insulating layer 211may not cover the top surface of the substrate 201 in a region of theperipheral area PA.

A cladding layer CLL is formed on the first insulating layer 211 so asto cover the slit SL.

In some embodiments, a width of the cladding layer CLL may be greaterthan a width of the slit SL, and a length of the cladding layer CLL maybe greater than a length of the slit SL. By doing so, the cladding layerCLL may completely cover the slit SL so as to prevent the slit SL frombeing exposed.

The cladding layer CLL may include various materials. The cladding layerCLL may include an inorganic or organic material.

In some embodiments, the cladding layer CLL may include the organicmaterial. By doing so, an appropriate thickness and an appropriate widthof the cladding layer CLL may be ensured, and as a result, the claddinglayer CLL may cover the slit SL.

In some embodiment, the cladding layer CLL may include a same materialas an insulating layer (not shown) that may be formed in the centralarea CA of the substrate 201. Also, the cladding layer CLL and aninsulating layer (not shown) that may be formed in the display area DAof the substrate 201 may be simultaneously formed.

In some embodiment, the cladding layer CLL may be formed to be adjacentto the edge of the substrate 201 or the cutting line CL.

A side surface of the cladding layer CLL that is adjacent to the edge ofthe substrate 201 or the cutting line CL, and another side surface ofthe cladding layer CLL that faces the side surface may have differentshapes. For example, the side surface of the cladding layer CLL that isadjacent to the edge of the substrate 201 or the cutting line CL may bea planar surface that is almost perpendicular to the ground, and theother side surface of the cladding layer CLL that faces the side surfacemay be a sloped surface or a curved surface.

When the mother substrate is cut along the cutting line CL, the displayapparatus 2000 may be obtained by performing a cutting process on thecladding layer CLL disposed at the cutting line CL, and as a result, theside surface of the cladding layer CLL may have a cross-sectionresulting from the cutting process.

FIG. 17 illustrates a modified example of the slit SL and the claddinglayer CLL shown in FIGS. 15 and 16.

Referring to FIG. 17, a plurality of slits SL are formed. Although notillustrated, one of the plurality of slits SL may overlap with a cuttingline CL.

FIG. 18 illustrates a plan view of a display apparatus 3000, accordingto another embodiment. FIG. 19 illustrates a magnified view of a portionD of FIG. 18, and FIG. 20 illustrates a cross-sectional view of theportion D, taken along a line IXX-IXX of FIG. 20.

Referring to FIGS. 18 through 20, the display apparatus 3000 includes asubstrate 301. The substrate 301 may include various materials. Detailedexamples of the various materials of the substrate 301 are the same asthose described in the previous embodiments, and thus detaileddescriptions thereof are omitted here.

A plurality of the display apparatuses 3000 may be formed on a mothersubstrate, and may be separated into each display apparatus 3000 in amanner that the mother substrate is cut along cutting lines CL of thesubstrates 301. FIG. 18 illustrates one display apparatus 3000 that iscut along the cutting line CL and thus is separated. Thus, an edge ofthe substrate 301 is defined by the cutting line CL.

All edges of the substrate 301, such as for example the four edges ofthe substrate 301 shown in FIG. 18 may all be cutting lines CL. In someembodiments, one, two, or three of the four edges of the substrate 301may be cutting lines CL.

According to a size or shape of the mother substrate, a position or thenumber of edges from among all edges of the display apparatus 3000 thatare determined as a cutting line CL may vary.

The substrate 301 is partitioned into a peripheral area PA and a centralarea CA. The peripheral area PA indicates an area around the cuttingline CL, and the central area CA indicates an area that is inwardlypositioned, compared to the peripheral area PA.

Embodiments are not limited thereto. The cutting line CL may not exist.One display apparatus 3000 may be formed on a mother substrate, and inthis case, the substrate 301 may correspond to the mother substrate, sothat the cutting line CL may not exist. In this case, the peripheralarea PA may indicate an area adjacent to an edge of the substrate 301,and the central area CA may indicate an area that is inwardlypositioned, compared to the peripheral area PA. For convenience ofdescription, it is assumed that the cutting line CL exists inembodiments described below.

The central area CA may include at least one display area DA.

The display area DA may include at least one display device (not shown),such as, for example, an OLED for displaying an image. Also, a pluralityof pixels may be disposed in the display area DA.

A non-display area (not shown) may be formed around the display area DA.The non-display area may be formed to surround the display area DA. Insome embodiments, the non-display area may be formed to be adjacent to aplurality of sides of the display area DA. In some embodiments, thenon-display area may be formed to be adjacent to one side of the displayarea DA.

In some embodiments, only the display area DA may be arranged in thecentral area CA. The non-display area may be formed only in theperipheral area PA.

A pad area (not shown) may be formed in the non-display area. A driveror a plurality of pad units (not shown) may be disposed in the pad area.

In some embodiments, at least one insulating layer (not shown) may beformed in the display area DA of the central area CA. The insulatinglayer may include an organic material or an inorganic material.

A first insulating layer 311 is formed in the substrate 301 in theperipheral area PA. A plurality of slits SL is formed in the firstinsulating layer 311. The plurality of slits SL may be spaced apart fromeach other.

The plurality of slits SL may be arrayed in a direction that crossesanother direction being from the edge of the substrate 301 or thecutting line CL to the display area DA.

Also, as illustrated in FIG. 21, a plurality of slits SL may be formedin a direction (see Y-axis direction of FIG. 21) and another direction(see X-axis direction of FIG. 21) that crosses the direction.

A cladding layer CLL may be formed to cover all of the plurality ofslits SL.

FIG. 22 illustrates a plan view of a display apparatus 4000, accordingto another embodiment. FIG. 23 illustrates a cross-sectional view, takenalong a line XXII-XXII of FIG. 22.

Referring to FIGS. 22 and 23, the display apparatus 4000 includes asubstrate 401. The substrate 401 may include various materials. Detailedexamples of the various materials of the substrate 401 are the same asthose described in the previous embodiments, and thus detaileddescriptions thereof are omitted here.

A cutting line CL of the display apparatus 4000 is same as in theprevious embodiments, and thus detailed descriptions thereof are omittedhere.

The substrate 401 is partitioned into a peripheral area PA and a centralarea CA. The peripheral area PA indicates an area around the cuttingline CL, and the central area CA indicates an area that is inwardlypositioned, compared to the peripheral area PA. As this is described inthe previous embodiment, detailed descriptions thereof are omitted here.

In some embodiments, at least one insulating layer (not shown) may beformed in the display area DA of the central area CA. The insulatinglayer may include an organic material or an inorganic material.

A first insulating layer 411 is formed on the substrate 401 in theperipheral area PA. A slit SL is formed on the first insulating layer411. The slit SL is formed in the peripheral area PA so as to be spacedapart from the display area DA.

In the display area DA of the central area CA, at least oneencapsulating layer may be formed to decrease or to prevent moisture orforeign substances from penetrating into a display device (not shown) inthe display area DA. FIG. 23 illustrates two encapsulating layers 461and 462, a first inorganic encapsulating layer 461 and a secondinorganic encapsulating layer 462. Referring to FIG. 23, the first andsecond inorganic encapsulating layers 461 and 462 extend from thedisplay area DA to the peripheral area PA. The first inorganicencapsulating layer 461 is formed on the first insulating layer 411, andthe second inorganic encapsulating layer 462 is formed on the firstinorganic encapsulating layer 461.

The first and second inorganic encapsulating layers 461 and 462 may bespaced apart from the cladding layer CLL and a slit SL.

Although not illustrated, the first and second inorganic encapsulatinglayers 461 and 462 may not extend to the peripheral area PA and may notoverlap with the peripheral area PA.

In some embodiments, one of the first and second inorganic encapsulatinglayers 461 and 462 may be disposed. In some embodiments, anencapsulating layer (not shown) including an organic material instead ofan inorganic material may be formed.

FIG. 24 illustrates a modified example of the display apparatus 4000 ofFIGS. 22 and 23.

FIG. 24 illustrates four encapsulating layers: a first inorganicencapsulating layer 461, a second inorganic encapsulating layer 462, afirst organic encapsulating layer 471, and a second organicencapsulating layer 472.

Referring to FIG. 24, the four encapsulating layers 461, 462, 471, and472 extend from the display area DA to the peripheral area PA. The firstinorganic encapsulating layer 461 may be formed on the first insulatinglayer 411, the first organic encapsulating layer 471 may be formedbetween the first insulating layer 411 and the inorganic encapsulatinglayer 461, the second inorganic encapsulating layer 462 may be formed onthe first inorganic encapsulating layer 461, and the second organicencapsulating layer 472 may be disposed between the first inorganicencapsulating layer 461 and the second inorganic encapsulating layer462.

A region of a top surface of the first inorganic encapsulating layer 461that is adjacent to the peripheral area PA may contact a region of abottom surface of the second inorganic encapsulating layer 462 that isadjacent to the peripheral area PA.

The four encapsulating layers 461, 462, 471, and 472 may be spaced apartfrom a cladding layer CLL and a slit SL.

Since the four encapsulating layers 461, 462, 471, and 472 are spacedapart from the cladding layer CLL and the slit SL, it is possible toprevent a crack, which may occur in the slit SL, from being propagatedvia one of the four encapsulating layers 461, 462, 471, and 472, and toprevent a particle, which may remain in the slit SL, from moving via oneof the four encapsulating layers 461, 462, 471, and 472.

Although not illustrated, the four encapsulating layers 461, 462, 471,and 472 may not extend to the peripheral area PA and may not overlapwith the peripheral area PA.

FIG. 25 illustrates a plan view of a display apparatus 5000, accordingto another embodiment. FIG. 26 illustrates cross-sectional views of thedisplay apparatus 5000, taken along lines XXVA-XXVA and XXVB-XXVB ofFIG. 25.

Referring to FIGS. 25 and 26, the display apparatus 5000 includes asubstrate 501. The substrate 501 may include various materials. Detailedexamples of the various materials of the substrate 501 are the same asthose described in the previous embodiments, and thus detaileddescriptions thereof are omitted here.

A cutting line CL of the display apparatus 5000 is same as in theprevious embodiments, and thus detailed descriptions thereof are omittedhere.

The substrate 501 is partitioned into a peripheral area PA and a centralarea CA. The peripheral area PA indicates an area around the cuttingline CL, and the central area CA indicates an area that is inwardlypositioned, compared to the peripheral area PA. As this is described inthe previous embodiments, detailed descriptions thereof are omittedhere.

A first insulating layer 511 is formed on the substrate 501. The firstinsulating layer 511 may include various insulating materials. Forexample, the first insulating layer 511 may include an inorganicmaterial.

The first insulating layer 511 may be formed in the central area CA andthe peripheral area PA. In some embodiments, the first insulating layer511 may be formed on the substrate 501, without a separate patterningprocess.

The first insulating layer 511 may include various insulating materials.In some embodiments, the first insulating layer 511 may include theinorganic material. For example, the first insulating layer 511 mayinclude oxide, nitride, or oxynitride. The first insulating layer 511may include, for example, silicon nitride (SiN_(x)), silicon oxide(SiO₂), or silicon oxynitride (SiO_(x)N_(y)). Also, the first insulatinglayer 511 may be formed by using various deposition methods including aplasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) method, an atmosphericpressure CVD (APCVD) method, a low pressure CVD (LPCVD) method, or thelike.

A thin-film transistor (TFT) may be formed in the display area DA on thefirst insulating layer 511. The TFT formed in the display area DAfunctions as a part of a pixel circuit. Also, the TFT may be formed inthe non-display area. The TFT that is formed in the non-display areafunctions as a part of a circuit included in the driver.

In some embodiments, the TFT corresponds to a top gate type TFT in whichan active layer 513, a gate electrode 515, a source electrode 517, and adrain electrode 518 are sequentially formed. In other embodiments,various types of a TFT, including a bottom gate type TFT, may be used asthe TFT.

The active layer 513 is formed on the first insulating layer 511. Theactive layer 513 may include a semiconductor material, such as, forexample, amorphous silicon or polycrystalline silicon. In someembodiments, the active layer 513 may include various materials. In someembodiments, the active layer 513 may include an organic semiconductormaterial.

In some embodiments, the active layer 513 may include an oxidesemiconductor material. For example, the active layer 513 may includeoxide including a material selected from metal elements of groups 12,13, and 14 such as zinc (Zn), indium (In), gallium (Ga), tin (Sn),cadmium (Cd), germanium (Ge), and hafnium (Hf), or a compositionthereof.

As described above, one embodiment may include a bottom gate type TFT.If the active layer 513 includes oxide or amorphous silicon, theembodiment may include the bottom gate type TFT.

The bottom gate type TFT may have various structures. For one example, agate electrode may be formed on the first insulating layer 511, anactive layer may be formed on the gate electrode, and a source electrodeand a drain electrode may be disposed on the active layer. As anotherexample, the gate electrode may be formed on a substrate, the sourceelectrode and the drain electrode may be formed on the gate electrode,and the active layer may be formed on the source electrode and the drainelectrode. In this case, an insulating layer, such as for example aninorganic layer, may be formed to be adjacent to at least one of thegate electrode, the active layer, and the source electrode and the drainelectrode.

A second insulating layer 521 is formed on the active layer 513. Thesecond insulating layer 521 may be formed as multiple layers or a singlelayer including an inorganic material such as, for example, siliconoxide and/or silicon nitride. The second insulating layer 521 insulatesthe active layer 513 from the gate electrode 515.

The second insulating layer 521 may be formed in the central area CA andthe peripheral area PA. In some embodiments, the second insulating layer521 may be formed between the active layer 513 and the gate electrode515, without a separate patterning process.

The gate electrode 515 is disposed on the second insulating layer 521.The gate electrode 515 may be connected to a gate line (not shown) thatapplies an ON signal or an OFF signal to the TFT.

The gate electrode 515 may include a low resistance metal material. Forexample, the gate electrode 515 may be formed as multiple layers or asingle layer including a conductive material including molybdenum (Mo),aluminum (Al), copper (Cu), or titanium (Ti).

An interlayer insulating layer 522 is formed on the gate electrode 515.The interlayer insulating layer 522 insulates the gate electrode 515from the source electrode 517 and the drain electrode 518.

The interlayer insulating layer 522 may be formed in the central area CAand the peripheral area PA. In some embodiments, the interlayerinsulating layer 522 may be formed between the source and drainelectrodes 517 and 518 and the gate electrode 515, without a separatepatterning process.

The interlayer insulating layer 522 may be formed as multiple layers ora single layer including an inorganic material. For example, theinorganic material may be metal oxide or metal nitride. In someembodiments, the inorganic material may include silicon oxide (SiO₂),silicon nitride (SiN_(X)), silicon oxynitride (SiON), aluminum oxide(Al₂O₃), titanium oxide (TiO₂), tantalum oxide (Ta₂O₅), hafnium oxide(HfO₂), or zirconium oxide (ZrO₂).

Before the source and drain electrodes 517 and 518 are formed on theinterlayer insulating layer 522, a process of forming contact holes isperformed so as to make the source and drain electrodes 517 and 518contact regions of the active layer 513, respectively. Regions of thesecond insulating layer 521 and the interlayer insulating layer 522 thatare formed on the active layer 513 are removed.

In some embodiments, a process of forming slits SL in the peripheralarea PA may be performed when the process of forming the contact holesis performed. The process of removing the regions of the secondinsulating layer 521 and the interlayer insulating layer 522 on theactive layer 513, and the process of forming the slits SL may besimultaneously performed.

Each of the slits SL extends through the second insulating layer 521 andthe interlayer insulating layer 522, and corresponds to a predeterminedthickness of the first insulating layer 511.

In some embodiments, each of the slits SL may extend through theinterlayer insulating layer 522 and may correspond to a part of athickness of the second insulating layer 521. In some embodiments, eachof the slits SL may correspond to a part of a thickness of theinterlayer insulating layer 522.

FIG. 26 illustrates a plurality of slits SL, but one slit SL may beformed in other embodiments.

The source and drain electrodes 517 and 518 are formed on the interlayerinsulating layer 522. Each of the source electrode 517 and the drainelectrode 518 may be formed as a single layer or multiple layersincluding a highly conductive material.

The source electrode 517 and the drain electrode 518 are formed tocontact the active layer 513. Some metal materials for forming thesource electrode 517 and the drain electrode 518 may remain in the slitsSL.

A passivation layer 530 is formed on the source electrode 517 and thedrain electrode 518 so as to cover the TFT.

The passivation layer 530 may remove a step caused by the TFT, provide aplanarized layer over the TFT, and thus prevents occurrence of a defectin an OLED 540 due to unevenness due to the TFT. The passivation layer530 may be formed as a single layer or multiple layers including anorganic material. The organic material may include polymer derivativeshaving commercial polymers such as, for example, Polymethylmethacrylate(PMMA) or Polystylene (PS), and a phenol group, an acryl-based polymer,an imide-based polymer, an arylene ether-based polymer, an amide-basedpolymer, a fluorine-based polymer, a p-xylene-based polymer, avinylalcohol-based polymer, or a combination thereof. Also, thepassivation layer 530 may be formed as a multi-stack including aninorganic insulating layer and an organic insulating layer.

In some embodiments, a cladding layer CLL may include a same material asthe passivation layer 530. The cladding layer CLL may include an organicmaterial.

In some embodiments, the passivation layer 530 and the cladding layerCLL may be simultaneously formed. When the passivation layer 530 isformed, a via hole forming process is performed to expose a surface ofone of the source electrode 517 and the drain electrode 518, and the viahole forming process may be performed and simultaneously, the claddinglayer CLL may be patterned. The cladding layer CLL may be easily formedwithout using an additional mask.

The cladding layer CLL may cover the slits SL, and thus may decrease orprevent movement of particles that may remain in the slits SL. By doingso, an electrical defect including a short defect of the OLED 540 in thedisplay area DA may be decreased.

The OLED 540 is formed on the passivation layer 530. The OLED 540 iselectrically connected to the TFT.

The OLED 540 includes a first electrode 541, a second electrode 542, andan intermediate layer 543 disposed between the first electrode 541 andthe second electrode 542.

The first electrode 541 is electrically connected to one of the sourceelectrode 517 and the drain electrode 518. Referring to FIG. 26, thefirst electrode 541 may be electrically connected to the drain electrode518.

The first electrode 541 may have one of various forms. For example, thefirst electrode 541 may be patterned as an island form.

The first electrode 541 may include various materials. The firstelectrode 541 may include at least one transparent conductive oxidematerial, such as for example, indium tin oxide (ITO), indium zinc oxide(IZO), zinc oxide (ZnO), indium oxide (In₂O₃), indium gallium oxide(IGO), or aluminum zinc oxide (AZO). The first electrode 541 may includea metal, such as for example silver (Ag), having high reflectance.

The intermediate layer 543 may include an organic emission layerincluding a small molecular organic material or a polymer molecularorganic material. In some embodiments, the intermediate layer 543includes the organic emission layer and may further include one or moreof a hole injection layer, a hole transport layer, an electron transportlayer, and an electron injection layer.

The organic emission layer may be formed in each of OLEDs. In this case,the OLEDs may emit red light, green light, and blue light, respectively.In some embodiments, the organic emission layer may be commonly formedin the OLEDs. For example, a plurality of organic emission layers thatemit red light, green light, and blue light may be vertically stacked ormixed and thus may emit white light. Color combinations for emittingwhite light are not limited to the aforementioned description. A colorconversion layer or a color filter may be separately arranged to convertthe emitted white light to a predetermined color.

The second electrode 542 may include various conductive materials. Forexample, the second electrode 542 may be formed as multiple layers or asingle layer including at least one of lithium (Li), calcium (Ca),lithium fluoride (LiF), aluminum (Al), magnesium (Mg), silver (Ag), oran alloy including at least two of these materials.

A pixel-defining layer 535 is formed on the passivation layer 530. Thepixel-defining layer 535 is formed while not covering a predeterminedregion of the first electrode 541, the intermediate layer 543 is formedon the predetermined region of the first electrode 541 that is notcovered by the pixel-defining layer 535, and the second electrode 542 isformed on the intermediate layer 543.

The pixel-defining layer 535 may include at least one inorganicinsulating material such as for example, polyimide, polyamide, an acrylresin, benzocyclobutene, or a phenol resin, and may be formed by using aspin coating method.

In some embodiments, the cladding layer CLL may include a same materialas the pixel-defining layer 535.

Although not illustrated on the second electrode 542, in someembodiments, a functional layer (not shown) may be further formedthereon. The functional layer may include a plurality of layers formedon the second electrode 542. At least one layer of the functional layermay prevent the second electrode 542 from being contaminated in asubsequent process, and another layer of the functional layer mayimprove an efficiency of a visible ray that is discharged from theintermediate layer 543 to the second electrode 542.

The slits SL in the first insulating layer 111 arranged in theperipheral area PA of the display apparatus 5000 prevent a crack that ispropagated from an edge of the substrate 501. For example, the slit SLthat is adjacent to the cutting line CL of the substrate 501 primarilyprevents propagation of a crack that may occur on the substrate 501 wheneach display apparatus 5000 is cut and separated from the mothersubstrate.

When the substrate 501 includes a flexible material and thus the displayapparatus 5000 has flexibility, the slits SL may efficiently decrease orprevent crack occurrence and propagation in the peripheral area PA whilea curving or bending motion occurs at the peripheral area PA.

A cladding layer CLL is formed on the slits SL. Due to the claddinglayer CLL, movement of foreign substances or particles that may remainin the slits SL may be prevented. In some embodiments, the claddinglayer CLL may cover the slits SL, so that the foreign substances or theparticles that may remain in the slits SL may not be exposed.

Due to the first insulating layer 511, the cladding layer CLL may not bedelaminated from the substrate 501.

The cladding layer CLL may include the same material as the passivationlayer 530 in the central area CA, and in some embodiments, while thepassivation layer 530 is formed, a via hole forming process and acladding layer forming process may be simultaneously performed. Thus,the cladding layer CLL may be easily formed, and a patterning processusing a separate mask may not be added.

Embodiments may include one of various types of TFTs, and in someembodiments, the cladding layer CLL may include a same material as aninsulating layer of the TFT, the insulating layer being adjacent to oneof an active layer, a gate electrode, a source electrode, and a drainelectrode. In some embodiments, the cladding layer CLL and theinsulating layer of the TFT may be simultaneously formed.

FIG. 27 illustrates a modified example of the display apparatus 5000shown in FIGS. 25 and 26.

For convenience of description, the present embodiment will be describedwith respect to differences from the previous embodiments.

Referring to FIG. 27, the display apparatus 5000 includes a barrierlayer 502 between the substrate 501 and the first insulating layer 511.

The barrier layer 502 may decrease or prevent moisture or foreignsubstances from penetrating into the display apparatus 5000 via thesubstrate 501. Since slits SL are not formed in the barrier layer 502,the barrier layer 502 may decrease or prevent the moisture or theforeign substances from penetrating toward the slits SL.

In some embodiments, each of the slits SL may have a depth greater thanthat shown in FIG. 27, and thus may be formed even in the barrier layer502.

The barrier layer 502 may include silicon nitride (SiN_(x)), siliconoxide (SiO₂), or silicon oxynitride (SiO_(x)N_(y)).

FIG. 28 illustrates a plan view of a display apparatus 6000, accordingto another embodiment. FIG. 29 illustrates a cross-sectional view, takenalong lines XXXA-XXXA and XXXB-XXXB of FIG. 28.

Referring to FIGS. 28 and 29, the display apparatus 6000 includes asubstrate 601. The substrate 601 may include various materials. Detailedexamples of the various materials of the substrate 601 are the same asthose described in the previous embodiments, and thus detaileddescriptions thereof are omitted here.

A cutting line CL of the display apparatus 6000 is same as in theprevious embodiments, and thus detailed descriptions thereof are omittedhere.

The substrate 601 is partitioned into a peripheral area PA and a centralarea CA. The peripheral area PA indicates an area adjacent to thecutting line CL, and the central area CA indicates an area that isinwardly positioned, compared to the peripheral area PA. As this isdescribed in the previous embodiments, detailed descriptions thereof areomitted here.

A barrier layer 602 is formed between the substrate 601 and a firstinsulating layer 611.

The barrier layer 602 may decrease or prevent moisture or foreignsubstances from penetrating into the display apparatus 6000 via thesubstrate 601. Since slits SL are not formed in the barrier layer 602,the barrier layer 602 may decrease or prevent the moisture or theforeign substances from penetrating toward the slits SL.

In some embodiments, each of the slits SL may have a depth greater thanthat shown in FIG. 29, and thus may be formed even in the barrier layer602.

The barrier layer 602 may include silicon nitride (SiN_(x)), siliconoxide (SiO₂), or silicon oxynitride (SiO_(x)N_(y)).

The first insulating layer 611 is formed on the barrier layer 602. Thefirst insulating layer 611 may include various insulating materials. Forexample, the first insulating layer 611 may include an inorganicmaterial.

The first insulating layer 611 may be formed in the central area CA andthe peripheral area PA. In some embodiments, the first insulating layer611 may be formed on the substrate 601 without a separate patterningprocess.

The first insulating layer 611 may include various insulating materials.For example, the first insulating layer 611 may include an inorganicmaterial. For example, the first insulating layer 611 may include oxide,nitride, or oxynitride. The first insulating layer 611 may include, forexample, silicon nitride (SiN_(x)), silicon oxide (SiO₂), or siliconoxynitride (SiO_(x)N_(y)). Also, the first insulating layer 611 may beformed by using various deposition methods including a PECVD method, anAPCVD method, an LPCVD method, or the like.

A TFT may be formed in the display area DA on the first insulating layer611. The TFT formed in the display area DA functions as a part of apixel circuit. Also, the TFT may be formed in a non-display area. TheTFT that is formed in the non-display area functions as a part of acircuit included in a driver.

In some embodiments, the TFT corresponds to a top gate type TFT in whichan active layer 613, a gate electrode 615, a source electrode 617, and adrain electrode 618 are sequentially formed. In other embodiments,various types of TFTs, including a bottom gate type TFT may be appliedto the TFT.

The active layer 613 is formed on the first insulating layer 611. Amaterial for forming the first insulating layer 611 is described in theprevious embodiments and thus detailed descriptions thereof are omittedhere.

A second insulating layer 621 is formed on the active layer 613. Thesecond insulating layer 621 may be formed as multiple layers or a singlelayer including an inorganic material such as, for example, siliconoxide and/or silicon nitride. The second insulating layer 621 may beformed in the central area CA and the peripheral area PA. In someembodiments, the second insulating layer 621 may be formed between theactive layer 613 and the gate electrode 615, without a separatepatterning process.

The gate electrode 615 is disposed on the second insulating layer 621.The gate electrode 615 may be connected to a gate line (not shown) thatapplies an ON signal or an OFF signal to the TFT.

An interlayer insulating layer 622 is formed on the gate electrode 615.The interlayer insulating layer 622 insulates the gate electrode 615from the source electrode 617 and the drain electrode 618.

The interlayer insulating layer 622 may be formed in the central area CAand the peripheral area PA. In some embodiments, the interlayerinsulating layer 622 may be formed between the source and drainelectrodes 617 and 618 and the gate electrode 615, without a separatepatterning process.

The interlayer insulating layer 622 may be formed as multiple layers ora single layer including an inorganic material. For example, theinorganic material may be metal oxide or metal nitride. The inorganicmaterial may include silicon oxide (SiO₂), silicon nitride (SiN_(X)),silicon oxynitride (SiON), aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃), titanium oxide(TiO₂), tantalum oxide (Ta₂O₅), hafnium oxide (HfO₂), or zirconium oxide(ZrO₂).

Before the source and drain electrodes 617 and 618 are formed on theinterlayer insulating layer 622, a process of forming contact holes isperformed so as to make the source and drain electrodes 617 and 618contact regions of the active layer 613, respectively. Regions of thesecond insulating layer 621 and the interlayer insulating layer 622 thatare formed on the active layer 613 are removed.

In some embodiments, a process of forming slits SL in the peripheralarea PA may be performed when the process of forming the contact holesis performed. The process of removing the regions of the secondinsulating layer 621 and the interlayer insulating layer 622 on theactive layer 613, and the process of forming the slits SL may besimultaneously performed.

Each of the slits SL extends through the second insulating layer 621 andthe interlayer insulating layer 622, and corresponds to a predeterminedthickness of the first insulating layer 611.

In some embodiments, each of the slits SL may extend through theinterlayer insulating layer 622 and may correspond to a part of athickness of the second insulating layer 621. In some embodiments, eachof the slits SL may correspond to a part of a thickness of theinterlayer insulating layer 622.

FIG. 29 illustrates a plurality of slits SL, but one slit SL may beformed in some embodiments.

The source and drain electrodes 617 and 618 are formed on the interlayerinsulating layer 622. Each of the source electrode 617 and the drainelectrode 618 may be formed as a single layer or multiple layersincluding a highly conductive material.

The source electrode 617 and the drain electrode 618 are formed tocontact the active layer 613. Some metal materials for forming thesource electrode 617 and the drain electrode 618 may remain in the slitsSL.

A passivation layer 630 is formed on the source electrode 617 and thedrain electrode 618 so as to cover the TFT.

The passivation layer 630 may remove a step caused by the TFT, provide aplanarized layer over the TFT, and thus prevent occurrence of a defectin an OLED 640 due to unevenness due to the TFT. The passivation layer630 may be formed as a single layer or multiple layers including anorganic material. The organic material may include polymer derivativeshaving commercial polymers such as, for example, Polymethylmethacrylate(PMMA) or Polystylene (PS), and a phenol group, an acryl-based polymer,an imide-based polymer, an arylene ether-based polymer, an amide-basedpolymer, a fluorine-based polymer, a p-xylene-based polymer, avinylalcohol-based polymer, or a combination thereof. The passivationlayer 630 may be formed as a multi-stack including an inorganicinsulating layer and an organic insulating layer.

In some embodiments, a cladding layer CLL may include a same material asthe passivation layer 630. The cladding layer CLL may include an organicmaterial.

In some embodiments, the passivation layer 630 and the cladding layerCLL may be simultaneously formed. When the passivation layer 630 isformed, a via hole forming process is performed to expose a surface ofone of the source electrode 617 and the drain electrode 618, and the viahole forming process may be performed and simultaneously, the claddinglayer CLL may be patterned. The cladding layer CLL may be easily formedwithout using an additional mask.

The OLED 640 is formed on the passivation layer 630. The OLED 640 iselectrically connected to the TFT.

The OLED 640 includes a first electrode 641, a second electrode 642, andan intermediate layer 643 disposed between the first electrode 641 andthe second electrode 642.

The first electrode 641 is electrically connected to one of the sourceelectrode 617 and the drain electrode 618. Referring to FIG. 29, thefirst electrode 641 may be electrically connected to the drain electrode618.

The first electrode 641 may have one of various forms. For example, thefirst electrode 641 may be patterned as an island form.

The first electrode 641 may include various materials. The firstelectrode 641 may include at least one transparent conductive oxidematerial, including indium tin oxide (ITO), indium zinc oxide (IZO),zinc oxide (ZnO), indium oxide (In₂O₃), indium gallium oxide (IGO), oraluminum zinc oxide (AZO). Also, the first electrode 641 may includemetal, such as silver (Ag), having high reflectance.

The intermediate layer 643 may include an organic emission layerincluding a small molecular organic material or a polymer molecularorganic material. In some embodiments, the intermediate layer 643includes the organic emission layer and may further include at least oneof a hole injection layer, a hole transport layer, an electron transportlayer, or an electron injection layer.

The organic emission layer may be formed in each of OLEDs. The OLEDs mayemit red light, green light, and blue light, respectively. In otherembodiments, the organic emission layer may be commonly formed in theOLEDs. For example, a plurality of organic emission layers that emit redlight, green light, and blue light may be vertically stacked or mixedand thus may emit white light. Color combinations for emitting whitelight are not limited to the aforementioned description. A colorconversion layer or a color filter may be separately arranged to convertthe emitted white light to a predetermined color.

The second electrode 642 may include various conductive materials. Forexample, the second electrode 642 may be formed as multiple layers or asingle layer including at least one of lithium (Li), calcium (Ca),lithium fluoride (LiF), aluminum (Al), magnesium (Mg), silver (Ag), oran alloy including at least two of these materials.

A pixel-defining layer 635 is formed on the passivation layer 630. Thepixel-defining layer 635 is formed while not covering a predeterminedregion of the first electrode 641, the intermediate layer 643 is formedon the predetermined region of the first electrode 641 that is notcovered by the pixel-defining layer 635, and the second electrode 642 isformed on the intermediate layer 643.

The pixel-defining layer 635 may include at least one inorganicinsulating material such as polyimide, polyamide, an acryl resin,benzocyclobutene, or a phenol resin, and be formed by using a spincoating method.

In some embodiments, the cladding layer CLL may include a same materialas the pixel-defining layer 635.

Although not illustrated on the second electrode 642, in someembodiments, a functional layer (not shown) may be further formedthereon. The functional layer may include a plurality of layers formedon the second electrode 642. At least one layer of the functional layermay prevent the second electrode 642 from being contaminated in asubsequent process, and another layer of the functional layer mayimprove an efficiency of a visible ray that is discharged from theintermediate layer 643 to the second electrode 642.

One or more encapsulating layers 661, 662, 671, and 672 may be formed onthe second electrode 642 so as to decrease or to prevent moisture orforeign substances from penetrating to the OLED 640.

FIG. 29 illustrates four encapsulating layers: a first inorganicencapsulating layer 661, a second inorganic encapsulating layer 662, afirst organic encapsulating layer 671, and a second organicencapsulating layer 672.

The first inorganic encapsulating layer 661 is formed on the firstorganic encapsulating layer 671, the second organic encapsulating layer672 is formed on the first inorganic encapsulating layer 661, and thesecond inorganic encapsulating layer 662 is formed on the second organicencapsulating layer 672.

A region of the first inorganic encapsulating layer 661 and a region ofthe second inorganic encapsulating layer 662 may contact each other.Widths of the first inorganic encapsulating layer 661 and the secondinorganic encapsulating layer 662 may extend in one direction so as tobe greater than widths of the first organic encapsulating layer 671 andthe second organic encapsulating layer 672. In some embodiments,complete areas of the first inorganic encapsulating layer 661 and thesecond inorganic encapsulating layer 662 may be larger than completeareas of the first organic encapsulating layer 671 and the secondorganic encapsulating layer 672.

In some embodiments, at least one of the four encapsulating layers 661,662, 671, and 672 may be skipped, and in some embodiments, the displayapparatus 6000 may further include at least an additional organicencapsulating layer or an additional inorganic encapsulating layer.

The first organic encapsulating layer 671 and the second organicencapsulating layer 672 may include various organic materials includingan acryl-based material, an epoxy-based material, a PI-based material,or the like.

The first inorganic encapsulating layer 661 and the second inorganicencapsulating layer 662 may include various inorganic materialsincluding metal oxide such as, for example, Al₂O₃, TiO₂, MgO or CrO. Insome embodiments, the first inorganic encapsulating layer 661 and thesecond inorganic encapsulating layer 662 may include a silicon-basedmaterial such as, for example, SiN_(X), SiON or SiO₂ or other ceramicmaterials.

The four encapsulating layers 661, 662, 671, and 672 may extend from thedisplay area DA to the peripheral area PA.

The four encapsulating layers 661, 662, 671, and 672 may be spaced apartfrom the cladding layer CLL and the slits SL.

In some embodiments, the four encapsulating layers 661, 662, 671, and672 may not extend to the peripheral area PA and may not overlap withthe peripheral area PA.

In some embodiments, the cladding layer CLL and at least one of the fourencapsulating layers 661, 662, 671, and 672 may include a same material.

FIGS. 30 through 33 illustrate plan views of a display apparatus 7000,according to another embodiment.

Referring to FIGS. 30 through 33, the display apparatus 7000 includes adisplay area DA and a cladding layer CLL on a substrate 701. A structureof the display apparatus 7000 shown in FIGS. 30 through 33 may beapplied to the previous embodiments and one or more embodimentsdescribed below.

For convenience of description, detailed descriptions about elementsother than the cladding layer CLL are omitted here.

Referring to FIG. 30, the cladding layer CLL may surround the displayarea DA and may have edges that are parallel to edges of the substrate701.

Referring to FIG. 31, edges of the cladding layer CLL may correspond toedges of the display area DA, except for one edge of the display areaDA.

Referring to FIG. 32, edges of the cladding layer CLL may correspond toedges of the display area DA, except for one edge of the display areaDA.

As illustrated in FIG. 32, the cladding layer CLL may include one ormore main portions CLLm that correspond to edges of the substrate 701,and may include at least one corner portion CLLa that connects twoadjacent main portions CLLm. In some embodiments, the corner portionCLLa may correspond to a corner of the substrate 701.

Also, as illustrated in FIG. 33, when a pad area PDA is formed in anarea outside the display area DA of the substrate 701, the claddinglayer CLL may be formed near the pad area PDA while the cladding layerCLL is spaced apart from the pad area PDA. The cladding layer CLL mayinclude curved portions CLLt according to a shape of the pad area PDA.Referring to FIG. 33, the curved portions CLLt are curved toward thedisplay area DA. However, in some embodiments, the curved portions CLLtmay be curved away from the display area DA.

FIG. 34 illustrates a plan view of a mother substrate MSU used inmanufacturing a display apparatus, according to an embodiment. FIG. 35illustrates a magnified plan view of a portion M of FIG. 34, and FIG. 36illustrates a cross-sectional view of the portion M, taken along a lineXXX-XXX of FIG. 35.

Referring to FIG. 34, a plurality of cells C1, C2, C3, and C4 aredisposed on the mother substrate MSU. The plurality of cells C1, C2, C3,and C4 correspond to display apparatuses, respectively.

The mother substrate MSU is cut along cutting lines CL and thus theplurality of cells C1, C2, C3, and C4 are separated. Afterward, fourdisplay apparatuses are manufactured via subsequent processes. Each ofthe manufactured four display apparatuses may be one of the displayapparatuses according to the previously described embodiments.

The mother substrate MSU includes the substrate 101.

The substrate 101 may include various materials. Detailed examples ofthe various materials of the substrate 101 are the same as thosedescribed in the previous embodiments, and thus detailed descriptionsthereof are omitted here.

Each of the plurality of cells C1, C2, C3, and C4 of the mothersubstrate MSU is partitioned into a peripheral area PA and a centralarea CA. The peripheral area PA indicates an area adjacent to thecutting line CL, and the central area CA indicates an area that isinwardly positioned, compared to the peripheral area PA.

The central area CA may include at least one display area DA.

The display area DA may have at least one display device (not shown),such as for example an OLED, for displaying an image. Also, a pluralityof pixels may be arranged in the display area DA.

A non-display area (not shown) may be formed around the display area DA.The non-display area may be formed to surround the display area DA. Insome embodiments, the non-display area may be formed to be adjacent to aplurality of sides of the display area DA. In some embodiments, thenon-display area may be formed to be adjacent to one side of the displayarea DA.

In some embodiments, only the display area DA may be arranged in thecentral area CA. The non-display area may be formed only in theperipheral area PA.

A pad area (not shown) may be formed in the non-display area. A driveror a plurality of pad units (not shown) may be disposed in the pad area.

The peripheral area PA indicates the area around the cutting line CL,and may be arranged in side ends of the mother substrate MSU, along thecutting line CL.

The first insulating layer 111 is formed on the substrate 101 in theperipheral area PA. The slit SL is formed on the first insulating layer111. The slit SL is formed in the peripheral area PA so as to be spacedapart from the display area DA.

The slit SL may be spaced apart from the cutting line CL. The claddinglayer CLL is formed on the first insulating layer 111 so as to cover theslit SL. The cladding layer CLL may be spaced apart from the cuttingline CL.

Movement of a crack that may occur on the first insulating layer 111during a cutting process performed along the cutting lines CL may beprevented or may be decreased due to the slit SL. Also, movement ofparticles that may remain in the slit SL may be prevented or may bedecreased due to the cladding layer CLL, so that an electrical defectthat may occur in the display apparatus may be prevented.

Since the first insulating layer 111 and the cladding layer CLL contacteach other, it is possible to prevent the cladding layer CLL from beingdelaminated from the substrate 101.

For convenience of description, a structure of the display apparatus1000 shown in FIG. 1 is applied to the present embodiment, and astructure of any one of the previous embodiments may be applied to thepresent embodiment.

FIG. 37 illustrates a modified example of the structure shown in FIG.36.

Referring to FIG. 37, the first insulating layer 111 is formed on thesubstrate 101 in the peripheral area PA. A plurality of slits SL isformed on the first insulating layer 111. The plurality of slits SL isformed in the peripheral area PA so as to be spaced apart from thedisplay area DA.

Also, a slit SLC from among the plurality of slits SL may overlap with acutting line CL. The slit SLC that overlaps with the cutting line CL mayincrease an effect of preventing occurrence of a crack on the firstinsulating layer 111 during a cutting process performed along thecutting line CL.

The cladding layer CLL is formed on the first insulating layer 111 so asto cover the plurality of slits SL. The cladding layer CLL may overlapwith the cutting line CL. After the cutting process is performed, thecladding layer CLL may have a cross-section that is parallel to thecutting line CL.

As described above, according to the one or more of the aboveembodiments, the display apparatus may have improved durability and animproved image quality.

It should be understood that the embodiments described herein should beconsidered in a descriptive sense only and not for purposes oflimitation. Descriptions of features or aspects within each embodimentshould typically be considered as available for other similar featuresor aspects in other embodiments.

While one or more embodiments have been described with reference to thefigures, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the artthat various changes in form and details may be made therein withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope as defined by the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A display apparatus comprising: a substratehaving a central area and a peripheral area disposed adjacent to thecentral area, the central area comprising a display area; at least onesemiconductive layer or one conductive layer in the display area; afirst insulating layer disposed in the peripheral area of the substrate,the first insulating layer covering at least one of the at least onesemiconductive layer or the one conductive layer; at least one patterncorresponding to a region of the first insulating layer; a cover layeron the first insulating layer and covering the at least one pattern inthe peripheral area, the cover layer comprising an insulating material;and an encapsulating layer on the display area, at least one layer ofthe encapsulating layer is spaced apart from the cover layer.
 2. Thedisplay apparatus of claim 1, wherein the encapsulating layer comprisesone or more inorganic encapsulating layers and one or more organicencapsulating layers, wherein at least one layer of the one or moreorganic encapsulating layers is spaced apart from the cover layer. 3.The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the encapsulating layercomprises one or more inorganic encapsulating layers and one or moreorganic encapsulating layers, wherein at least one layer of the one ormore inorganic encapsulating layers is spaced apart from the coverlayer.
 4. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the encapsulatinglayer comprises one or more inorganic encapsulating layers and one ormore organic encapsulating layers, wherein the one or more organicencapsulating layers and the one or more organic encapsulating layersare spaced apart from the cover layer.
 5. The display apparatus of claim1, further comprising one or more insulating layers in the display area,wherein the cover layer includes a same material as a material of theone or more insulating layers.
 6. The display apparatus of claim 1,wherein a depth of the at least one pattern is less than or equal to athickness of the first insulating layer.
 7. The display apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein the cover layer extends in one direction and isparallel to an edge of the substrate.
 8. The display apparatus of claim1, wherein the cover layer extends in one direction and the at least onepattern extends in one direction, and wherein the cover layer isparallel to the at least one pattern in at least one region.
 9. Thedisplay apparatus of claim 1, wherein a width of the cover layer isgreater than a width of the at least one pattern.
 10. The displayapparatus of claim 1, wherein a length of the cover layer is longer thana length of the at least one pattern.
 11. The display apparatus of claim1, wherein the first insulating layer extends to the display area. 12.The display apparatus of claim 1, further comprising at least oneinsulating layer in the display area, wherein the first insulating andthe at least one insulating layer in the display area are formed of asame material.
 13. The display apparatus of claim 1, further comprisinga plurality of thin-film transistors (TFTs) in the central area of thesubstrate, each of the plurality of TFTs comprising an active layer, agate electrode, a source electrode, and a drain electrode, wherein oneor more insulating layers are adjacent to at least one selected from theactive layer, the gate electrode, the source electrode, and the drainelectrode, and wherein the first insulating layer and the one or moreinsulating layers include a same material.
 14. The display apparatus ofclaim 13, wherein the one or more insulating layers include a gateinsulating layer between the active layer and the gate electrode or aninterlayer insulating layer between the gate electrode and the sourceand drain electrodes.
 15. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein thefirst insulating layer is spaced apart from the display area in at leastone direction.
 16. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the firstinsulating layer extends to an edge of the substrate.
 17. The displayapparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one pattern extends to anedge of the substrate.
 18. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein theat least one pattern has a closed loop shape.
 19. The display apparatusof claim 1, further comprising a barrier layer between the substrate andthe first insulating layer.
 20. The display apparatus of claim 19,wherein the barrier layer extends to the display area.